1.Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in harvester pick-up reels, and in particular to a simplified bat support spider capable of being easily repaired in the field by the farmer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The bat support spider of this invention is an improved version of the bat support spider disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,299, granted Nov. 13, 1973.
Pat. No. 3,771,299 discloses a bat support spider which includes a one piece hub which is cast from aluminum or the like. A problem of this construction is that the hub member cannot be easily repaired in the field because most farmers cannot weld aluminum. However, other features of the bat support spider construction disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,299, such as the channel construction of the bat support arms, are desirable and are retained in the improved bat support spider of this invention.
Additional United States prior patents which should be examined for the purpose of putting the present invention in proper perspective with respect to the prior art are:
U.s. pat. No. 2,823,511, granted Feb. 18, 1958, to Clarence E. Beaty; PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,546,863, granted Dec. 15, 1970 to Thomas O'D. Connolly; PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,550,366, granted Dec. 29, 1970, to Charles M. Gibson; PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,584,445, l granted June 15, 1971, to Steffan R. Hubbard; PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,585,815, granted June 22, 1971, to Steffan R. Hubbard; PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,667,198, granted June 6, 1972, to Charles M. Gibson; and PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,698,166, granted Oct. 17, 1972, to Ivan E. Fisher.
Also, the several patents discussed in column one of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,299 should be considered.